Lord Rennard is not Jimmy Savile, Liberal Democrat MEP says

Chris Davies says that the treatment of the Liberal Democrat peer has been 'completely
out of proportion' and 'nonsense and outrageous'

Lord Rennard is alleged to have repeatedly harassed women by sexually touching and propositioning themPhoto: REX FEATURES

By Christopher Hope and Georgia Graham

9:37AM GMT 20 Jan 2014

Lord Rennard is not Jimmy Savile and opposition to his proposed return to the Lords is a “nonsense”, one of his supporters has said.

Chris Davies, a Liberal Democrat MEP, described the reaction of other members of his party to the accusations of sexual harassment against Lord Rennard as "completely out of proportion" and "nonsense and outrageous".

Lord Rennard is accused of sexually harrassing female party members over a number of years. An internal investigation found the claims were "broadly credible" but could be not proved beyond reasonable doubt.

Nick Clegg, the Liberal Democrat leader has said that Lord Rennard must apologise before returning to the Lords but the peer, who denies the allegations, has refused.

Mr Davies told BBC Radio Four's Westminster Hour: "The whole thing has become like the Salem witch trials.

"A good man has been publicly destroyed through the media with the apparent support of Nick Clegg. It is completely out of proportion, nonsense and outrageous.

The MEP said the disinction should be made that Lord Rennard was accused of touching women "through clothing" and that the alleged incidents amounted to nothing more than "pinching a woman's bottom."

He said: "This isn’t Jimmy Savile. This is touching someone’s leg six years ago at a meeting through clothing. This is the equivalent of a few years ago an Italian man pinching a woman’s bottom.

"How much more must this man be made to suffer through the media condemnation that comes out day after day fed by the party leadership?”

Mr Davies also accused the women who have accused Lord Rennard as going after “their pound of flesh.”

"I’ve known Chris since he was 17, his wife for about the same time... I can’t believe how much they’ve suffered in the past year. And these people just want to go on and on. For what? I mean haven’t they had their pound of flesh?"

Other allies of Liberal Democrat peer are threatening to take legal action if he is refused admittance to the party's group in the Lords this afternoon.

The peer's brother, Edward Rennard, complained his treatment amounts to a "witch hunt" and complained of "illiberal tactics that would be worthy of the Ku Klux Klan".

Lord Carlile, Lord Rennard’s legal advisor has said he has been “deeply shocked” by Liberal Democrat reactions comparing the party to a dictatorship. He said: “It makes the North Korean legal system look benign compared to the Liberal Democrats. He has the support of a great number of his fellow peers."

However Nick Clegg, who has said Lord Rennard must apologise before taking up his seat in the House of Lords defended his position this morning.

The Liberal Democrat leader said he was trying "remain fair and objective" as people on both sides of the debate are saying "quite shrill things."

He added that he was not the leader of a “sect” and could not “frogmarch” Lord Rennard to an apology.